Our Opinion: Nice job

Franklin Boulevard gets welcomed upgrade

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that a mid-morning ceremony marking the completion of the Franklin Boulevard project took place during a warm Monday with sunny skies and no chance of rain.

Those who have lived here for a long time and newcomers who have scored nearby housing or enrolled children in Leon High School know all about Mother Nature and Franklin Boulevard.

For years, torrential downpours signaled that it was best to avoid Franklin Boulevard, because it was sure to flood, causing havoc for motorists, leaving employees stuck in their offices and presenting a challenge to law enforcement officers who had to risk the rising waters to rescue motorists who tried but didn't make it through.

Thanks to the efforts of the city of Tallahassee, Leon County, federal and state funding agencies and Blueprint 2000, those days are behind us. This community got a flood-relief project and more as Franklin Boulevard now is a showpiece thoroughfare between East Tennessee and Lafayette streets that we all can proud to use and admire. The huge, dangerous ditch has been sealed off, and bike lanes, improved lighting and a nice, clean stretch of resurfaced roadway are in its place.

Talk about your tax dollars at work.

A big part of the project also includes stormwater improvements under Franklin Boulevard beginning at Tennessee Street near Leon High, designed to alleviate flooding that has dogged students and unsuspecting visitors seemingly forever. The work of contractors and construction crews came to fruition in February, when the city experienced up to 14 inches of rain from a series of storms - but few problems with Franklin Boulevard.

At first, many balked at the $10.6 million decision to transform the previous four-lane road into a two-lane roadway. And there was a delay after delay because of the weather, but now we have improved medians, updated traffic signals, pedestrian-friendly improvements and a clear vision of how easy accessibility to the new Cascades Park can be from East Tennessee Street. Franklin Boulevard is likely to become a bragging point for bicyclists, runners and walkers.

And, that's to be appreciated because the partnership between multiple government agencies and the voices of citizens has created a whole different perception of Franklin Boulevard.

Go ahead, let it rain.

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Our Opinion: Nice job

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that a mid-morning ceremony marking the completion of the Franklin Boulevard project took place during a warm Monday with sunny skies and no chance of rain.